Naetong Audit Sharpens Aim at Opposition: "Audit Office Secretary-General Must Be Arrested... If Uncooperative, Push for National Investigation"

Additional Complaints to Corruption Investigation Office After Audit on the 11th
Reviewing Inclusion of Lee Gwansub, Senior Secretary for National Planning, Among Accused

Yoo Byung-ho, Secretary General of the Board of Audit and Inspection [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Democratic Party of Korea has pointed out suspicions of collusion in the Board of Audit and Inspection's (BAI) audit and urged investigative authorities to conduct an investigation. The Democratic Party warned that if an investigation into the BAI is not accepted, it will push for a parliamentary audit.

On the 6th, Democratic Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, including Ki Dong-min, the party's floor leader on the committee, held a press conference stating, "Key evidence has emerged showing that the BAI acted under the instructions of the Presidential Office," and added, "The truth behind the collusion that reduced the BAI to a subsidiary office of the Presidential Office must be revealed."

During the Cabinet meeting the previous day, Yoo Byung-ho, Secretary General of the BAI, was caught on a reporter's camera sending a text message to Lee Gwan-seop, Senior Secretary for National Planning at the Presidential Office, saying, "Today, a proper explanatory statement will be released again. The intention is to tell them not to talk nonsense."

Regarding this, the Democratic Party's judiciary committee members argued, "It is not difficult to infer that Secretary General Yoo reported to Senior Secretary Lee on the progress of the audit," and added, "There have been many cases where audits were launched immediately after statements by government and ruling party officials. It is reasonable to assume that these targeted audits and subcontracted audits were prepared at the level of 'national planning.'"

In this context, they demanded the dismissal and arrest of Secretary General Yoo, the resignation of BAI Chairman Choi Jae-hae, the suspension of ongoing political audits, retaliatory audits, and subcontracted audits, and the initiation of investigations by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the prosecution. The Democratic Party judiciary committee members stated, "If these demands are not accepted, we declare that we will push for a parliamentary audit to uncover the truth behind this unconstitutional manipulation of state affairs."

Opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party plan to conduct a BAI parliamentary audit on the 11th and then visit the CIO on the 12th to file a complaint. They are also considering whether to include not only Chairman Choi and Secretary General Yoo but also Senior Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, the head of the BAI's Public Officials Inspection Division, and the director of the Special Investigation Bureau in the complaint.

Park Hong-geun, the Democratic Party floor leader, also stated at a parliamentary audit strategy meeting, "It has become clear who ordered the politically motivated audits by the BAI, which has taken on the role of the regime's hunting dog," and added, "The audits targeting the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission and the Korea Communications Commission under the previous administration were not coincidental but thoroughly planned and directed." Park emphasized, "The CIO must immediately start investigations into the BAI and the Presidential Office."